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Tyler froze when coming back into the room −if you could call it that. The place had been loosely arranged as a room, with a bare metal bed outfitted with a simple mattress and minimal bedding. The more time Isaac spent in here, the more he was convinced this was originally a storage room that had been repurposed for his stay. Several boxes were stored in a corner, along with a pile of various items, pieces of clothes, and some tools. The dark-haired boy could see that Tyler had wondered, the first time he had come here, if it was safe to keep him in the same room as all of this equipment, given his mental state. Thankfully, his nephew didn’t have to worry about this anymore. Unbeknownst to him, he had become the new target of Isaac’s obsession, giving him a new reason to live.
However, when entering the room after a short restroom trip, it wasn't his uncle's newfound liveliness that shocked Tyler.
“What the fuck?”
Isaac looked down at what he was doing.
On the bed in front of him laid Tyler's phone, back cover completely removed, its insides exposed as the scientist was poking and examining them with a small screwdriver.
"Is that my phone??"
"That certainly looks like it, doesn't it?” he attempted a joking tone.
"Dude, you can't be serious. I went away for like 5 minutes!"
For his defense, Isaac had thought that'd be plenty of time to figure out the inner workings of the device and put it back together. But he had severely underestimated how much technology had evolved during the 30 years he was dead. The level of miniaturization now possible amazed him, and he had found himself absorbed in his careful examination of the content of the phone. If you could even call that a phone —he had seen Tyler use it, it had little to do with what he had known, back in his youth. Dammit, he was thinking like an old man again.
“How did you even open it with only one hand?” Tyler kept going, visibly unnerved by his silence.
“I- uh… there were tools in one of the boxes there” he gestured vaguely to the pile of junk in the corner.
Isaac had to lie, unwilling to tell his nephew he had been working on regaining his telekinesis when he was alone, slowly practicing with his left hand. He was still frustratingly weak and unprecise, but had still managed to improve well enough to pop the back of the phone open. He figured it was best to keep this a secret for now −it’s always better to let others underestimate you.
Tyler dropped his arms as he let out a frustrated sigh, and threw himself on the bed next to the phone.
“Why did you even do this in the first place? It was working just fine!”
Isaac’s gaze shifted away from Tyler’s, expressionless and hoping his excuse would be enough for his nephew.
“I was… curious.”
“Bullshit.”
Crap. He should have known better than to think this would have cut it with Tyler.
“I’ve never seen you even try to use one. You’d have started with that before popping one open to see how it works…” Tyler’s eyes widened, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth “Can it be…”
Oh no.
“You don’t know how to use a phone??”
Isaac’s jaw clenched, but by now, his nephew already knew it was a telltale of his repressed anger.
“It’s- That’s not-…!”
He couldn’t defend himself further, interrupted by Tyler suddenly bursting out laughing.
“Oh that’s ha ha ha… that’s hilarious! You… of all people? Defeated by a… by a fucking smartphone eh eh eh… Dude… even little kids have them now… “ he kept going, interrupted only by laughter.
Isaac wanted to be mad −and he was, to some extent. His boundless ego was bruised by the idea that such a now-common piece of technology would put him in difficulty. But in this moment, all he could think about was that it was the first time he’d seen Tyler laugh −genuinely. No sarcasm, pain or superiority was hiding behind that laugh. It was the first time seeing his nephew’s brows relaxed, his eyes crinkle in joy, his barriers fall −even for a short-fleeting moment-, and heard him sounding so sincere. It did annoy him that it was while laughing at him, but he could take it if only to see that smile on his face. He looked so much like his mother in many ways, but that smile was his and his only.
Truth was, he knew he could quickly master the inner workings of a smartphone. He was used to searching, finding and understanding patterns and a system’s inner logic. But to do so, he would have to get over the entirely new interface. He was used to buttons, handles and keyboards. This smooth screen with minimal buttons felt right out of a sci-fi movie, and he didn’t have the time yet to figure out its rules. It would have required some more time using one −which he didn’t have, and during their time at the bunker and the Bullpen, he had been too focused on crafting his rescue-revenge plan to study the one Tyler had stolen. Or, more humiliating: it would have required him actually asking someone to show him. But he couldn’t let that happen, letting anyone see him unknowledgeable on a piece of technology. The shame would have crushed him.
Opening the phone, though, that was familiar. He knew circuit boards, wires and screws. If he couldn’t afford the time to learn how to use one the way anyone would, then he’d reverse-engineer it. Look at it from the angle most people would find confusing and obscure, and retrace each element to the way it would work on the other side of the screen. But he had underestimated how much of the device’s workings were reliant on the software, and not simply the hardware. Technology really had evolved in a way he hadn’t predicted, and he hated being made to feel like he had failed in that area as well. It felt like another piece of him, of his sense of self and certainty, being taken away from him, as silly as it might seem.
While Tyler was trying to come down from his laughter, Isaac silently set everything back in place. He did get some help from his abilities, discreetly, thankful for his nephew’s burst of joy for distracting him enough that he didn’t pick up on the suspicious ease with which he clicked the back cover in place with only his left hand.
“Here, it’s still working fine” he said, turning the phone on. This was easy enough.
Finally calmed, but still harboring an annoyingly cocky smile, Tyler took the device from his hands.
“Want me to teach you?” he said in a teasing tone.
“As if I needed your guidance here!”
“Well… you clearly do.”
Isaac rolled his eyes and sighed. He wanted to send him away for mocking him, but he simply couldn’t resist the curiosity −not the look Tyler was giving him, eyes sparkly and remnant of that laughter still plastered on his face. Not, that had nothing to do with it.
“Fine, if you insist” actually yes please, explain everything to him so he could quickly regain his footing.
And his footing he quickly regained. In less than 30 minutes, Isaac was not only at ease navigating the phone, but he had already figured out a way to unlock hidden options, install unauthorized apps to modify the software even further, and basically push the capacities of the phone to a degree his nephew had no idea was even possible. Tyler’s cocky smile had reverted to his usual frown, as his momentary triumph over his uncle had faded faster than his joy whenever he had to prepare a matcha latte at the Weathervane.
Dammit.
Isaac was really incredible. But Tyler would rather die than admit he was even a little bit impressed by his uncle’s adaptability when it came to science or technology. It was almost like a puzzle to him, an enigma he had to figure out or reject entirely. It was somewhat fascinating to watch, seeing his fleeting frustration when faced with a hermetic system, quickly morphing into intense focusing −to the point he wouldn’t even notice someone sneaking up to him with an axe−, and eventually the look of joy when he’d get it. Oh, that was delicious to watch. He loved the way his eyes -usually stern and soulless no matter what expression the rest of his face would make− would widen and sparkle with excitement. But he would never say it to his face.
Yet.
One step at a time.